If you like to take your pet on vacation, you can do it here. If one of your goals is to save the planet, your carbon footprint will remain low at this hotel. And if location is key, Hilton Universal City is next door to Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk, with views of the Hollywood Hills.

Special guestrooms are available through Hilton's Pampered Paws program, which welcomes...

Here's the perfect recipe for an ideal family destination vacation: begin with one of America's largest indoor water parks, toss in enough recreational amenities to please adults and kids of all ages, stir in a full-service spa for adults and an ice-cream-themed spa for tweens, then finish with a large dollop of environmental consciousness (Great Wolf Resorts is the first national hotel chain...

One of three Loews hotels at Universal Orlando, the 650-room Hard Rock Hotel is a fantasy getaway for music fans, designed to look like a wealthy rock 'n' roll star's Southern California manse. It's filled with cool collectibles like a rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuit worn by Elvis, one of Elton John's outlandish costumes, and boots worn by the likes of Mick Jagger, Baby Spice, and June Pointer...

Imagine a 44-acre island paradise nestled along SoCal's tranquil Mission Bay, a California beach bungalow-style retreat with something for everyone: swimming pools with meandering lagoons and soothing waterfalls; a marina offering kayaking, water-skiing, sailing, and fishing; an Indonesian-themed full-service spa and beauty salon; one of San Diego's finest restaurants; and a state-of-the-art...

If you can't make it to Kenya's Masai Mara to see the pride of lions that inspired The Lion King, then at least visit Walt Disney World's reproduction of an African safari at Orlando's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Enter the large lobby of the sprawling hotel, boasting a thatched roof, rope bridges, and mud fireplaces, and plant yourself by the four-story observation windows. You'll soon spot...

If the sound of water soothes you into calm, the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld will be just the thing (though not to worry, Orlando's high-energy attractions are mere minutes away). Just across the street you can get splashed by Shamu at SeaWorld, swim with bottlenose dolphins at Discovery Cove, or ride the waves at Aquatica water park.

The hotel had a recent major facelift,...

Roller-coaster thrills and flume-ride fun await at Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park and neighboring Knott's Soak City Water Park. So why not complete the themed experience with a stay at the nine-story Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel, where elegant, family-friendly rooms and suites offer quick and easy access to the parks?

The 320-room deluxe resort draws children in with its...

This 1,604-room, musically themed resort doesn't "miss a beat," with giant banjos, guitars, trombones, conga drums, and maracas architecturally ensconced into a collection of three-story buildings with themes like Broadway, calypso, jazz, country, and rock 'n' roll. Top hats, musical notes, and an oversized show marquee, complete with "chorus line" dancers, add to the Broadway facade; giant...

There's no "official" hotel for Canada's Wonderland and its sister water park, 20-acre Splash Works, but this recently renovated, family-friendly hotel offers the best nearby lodging for Toronto's biggest area theme park. Less than ten miles from the center of all the action, the hotel features a special one-night package that includes park admission (Canada's Wonderland is considered a...

Take the free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, after which you can then hop the free shuttle to Minneapolis' gargantuan Mall of America. And when you're not shuttling off for a Nickelodeon Universe adventure or 18 holes of Moose Mountain Mini-Golf, kickback for a swim, a game of ping-pong, and grilled burgers at Ramada Mall of America.

Ramada's proximity to Mall of America makes...